Proton new models

Actually I will post about Proton new car models as long as other Proton cars topics (Proton Gen2 and Satri R3)

Before talking about latest proton models let's talk first about the company.
Proton, short for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional (National Car Project), is a Malaysian car manufacturer initiated in 1983 by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The main plant is located in Shah Alam. Malaysia's second Proton plant is in Tanjong Malim, Perak.
Based on technology and parts from Mitsubishi, production of the first model, the Proton Saga, began in 1985. Until the end of the 1990s, the car's logo featured the crest from Malaysia's coat of arms, featuring an crescent and a fourteen-pointed star. Proton now uses a logo featuring a stylized tiger head. See the picture for the Proton Logo image.
Proton currently holds a market share of over 60 per cent in Malaysia.
Proton acquired the British car manufacturer Lotus Cars from Bugatti in 1996.
Proton has operations in the United Kingdom and Australia and is aggressively marketing their cars in several other countries.

In December 2004, Proton purchased a majority share in MV Agusta of Italy. MV Agusta is the manufacturer of MV Agusta, Husqvarna, and Cagiva motorcycles.

Proton New Model : Proton Savvy
This a 2005 new proton model car. ( proton tiara new model, code name proton trm)
Proton Tiara was a compact car based on the Citroën AX, built under licence by Proton from 1996 to 2000.

Proton Savvy (Proton Sassy) was launched on June 8, 2005 (the first new model in 16 months). This new proton car is a 1,200 cc 5-door compact car. The Proton Savvy car is the replacement model for the Proton Tiara (proton trm - proton tiara replacement model). The car is fitted with an engine and a gearbox sourced from Renault. (this proton new car model is known since it was an proton car prototype - some pictures of the expected proton new car leaked on the web a few month ago).

This latest proton car model (Proton Savvy) was receiving good ratings and great attention from public.
This new car stopped traffic! Literally. There was an unusual congestion along Jalan Puchong caused by people slowing down to steal a glimpse of the new Proton car Savvy model. Not only that but the congestion was along both directions of the road.

The bumper and grill of the Proton Savvy new car has that same look with the Proto Waja and Proto Gen2.

You can see more details on this new proton car model on the official Proton website and because the Proton Savvy is the latest Proton car model, this new car will be on the front page. You can read there full specifications, details and of course Proton Savy images and pictures from all possible angles.

For this year (2005) Protonis expected to launch at least 2 2005 new car models ( for now they are just proton car prototypes).

Late last year, Proton signed a cooperation agreement with Volkswagen, which allows the German auto maker to use Proton's plants to assemble VWs for sale in Southeast Asia. In exchange, VW will provide tech assistance to Proton. In recent years, Proton has set aside tens of millions of dollars for research and development, and its execs hope that collaboration with VW will improve the quality of both its systems and its cars.



Other great Proton cars (other than Proton TRM - proton tiara new model)

Proton Gen2
Proton Gen2 is the first fully Malaysian-developed (including chassis and engine) Proton car and the replacement model for the Proton Wira; Proton Gen2 was launched on February 8, 2004 and was the latest proton car model before the release of Proton Savy TRM. It was called The first "real" Proton model, complete with engine designed and built by Proton.
You might be proud to have a Proton Gen2 parked on your driveway, yourself. It breaks no new ground style-wise, but the car looks neat and well-proportioned from all angles, while the long wheelbase gives it a well-planted stance on the road. The front and rear lamp clusters are nicely detailed, too.
GEN2 has been styled to attract a wider customer base; the Lotus Design Studio has had a major influence on the design of the curvy muscular bodywork that looks simply sensational in a range of new colours. From the bee sting aerial to the dashboard instrument panel, reminiscent of the Lotus roundel, the GEN2’s sporting pedigree is undeniable.

With its light and nimble steering, the Proton Gen2 feels alive even at low speeds and it executes quick changes of direction without missing a beat.

Proton Gen2 car model Specs:
1.6Engine: 1,597cc, 16V in-line 4
Max Power: 110bhp at 6,000rpm
Max Torque: 148Nm at 4,000rpm
Gearbox: 5-speed manual
Top Speed: 190km/h
0-100 km/h: 10.5 seconds




Proton Satria and Proton Satria R3

Proton Satria is a 3-door sedan based on the Mitsubishi Mirage.
Proton Satria GTI is a 3-door sports hatchback. This was Proton's attempt at the sporty, performance hatchback market. Very popular in Malaysia and has a large following in Australia. This Proton car is powered by a 4-cylinder 1.8 liter DOHC engine.
Proton Satria R3 is a limited edition road-legal race-spec Satria with only 150 units in production. It features a double seam-welded lightened chassis and a tweaked engine with more aggresive cam timing.

The Proton Satria R3 special edition is the fruit of the labour put in by the Proton Motorsports Division, within which the Race Rally and Research team is housed. They have successfully taken a stock Satria GTi, and have made it lighter, stiffer, stronger, and faster. At the same time, they have also succeeded in making it look more appealing than the old ‘you-can-have-it-in-any-colour-as-long-as-it’s-silver’ look.
The 1.8 litre, 4G93 DOHC engine that powers the Proton Satria R3 is one of the most reliable Mitsubishi engines ever made. This very same engine powered the early rally Mitsubishi EVO’s and is known to be practically unbreakable. In naturally aspirated form, it delivers 140 bhp at 6100 rpm in the R3. Translated to the road, it moves the R3 from zero to 100 km/hr in 8.6 seconds, and gives a top speed of 205 km/hr. Torque is 168Nm at 5600 rpm. Maximum speed is 205 km/hr.

The Proton Motorsports Division builds each R3 car by hand, and they only made 2 a day. One thing is certain; this is a car that was built with the motoring enthusiast in mind. You could, if you want, take this new proton racing car model out of the showroom and go straight to the racetrack.

A great place for Satria R3 photos and other information is the Race Rally Research official website, the offical website of the Motorsports Division, Proton.








Every Proton new model is expected with full attention from media , public and competitors, there are a lot of people that say that the proton cars are not worth it but there are also a great number of fans taht just love the Proton car models. Well, I guess that you have to try it before making an opinion...